


Flying High

by GenericUsername01



Series: PRIDE MONTH [9]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Cerberus - Freeform, F/F, Fairy Tale Retellings, and there's a talking cow, but i changed the ending because the ending sucked, depends on how you see it - Freeform, it's a happy ending now, like fairy wings not bird wings, or a demonically possessed cow, the cowherd and the beautiful weaver, vulcans take the place of fairies in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:03:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenericUsername01/pseuds/GenericUsername01
Summary: Prompt: FairytaleCerberus is a peaceful Vulcan-Terran joint farming colony. The Vulcans live up in the sky, in their kingdom among the clouds, and below, the humans work hard to cultivate the ground. Contact between the two is almost nonexistent, despite ostensibly peaceful relations.The Kirk-McCoys are humble human farmers. They work the land and tend to their crops and animals. Then one day, Joanna's cow starts talking, and tells her to steal a Vulcan's robes...





	Flying High

**Author's Note:**

> I fully admit that at this point I am just picking and choosing the prompts that I like and ignoring the ones that I don't.
> 
> Also, completely irrelevant to the story, but since I've started rewriting fairytales I've come to some conclusions about them: they are definitely not meant for children and retelling them with g-ratings and happy endings requires very careful cherry picking and revising. You're welcome.

Cerberus is an experimental colony. Humans and Vulcans have never tried to co-develop a planet before. Though, in this case, 'co-develop' might be a bit of a stretch. The humans stick to the ground and the Vulcans to the sky. Politically, relations are perfectly amicable. In reality, relations are nearly nonexistent.

The Kirk-McCoys had a small piece of allotted land and practiced subsistence farming. They were, in a word, dirt poor.

Joanna didn't mind none though. The land was rich and warm, the air clean and softly blowing. They had a single cow that her Dad insisted on naming Bessie, which her Pa rolled his eyes at. Every morning, Joanna would feed the chickens and then lead the cow out to pasture. It was a simple life, but simple was okay. Simple didn't mean bad, after all.

It was peaceful.

Sure, sometimes she wanted more. She wasn't a little kid anymore. She was practically grown. It was time for her to start a family of her own, but none of the young folks in the village really held her eye, and she was loathe to leave the colony and her parents behind. She was a small town girl through and through. Cerberus was her home.

She sat down in the tall grass of the hillside and pulled her guitar off her back, content to sit in the sun and play for a while. Lazy days were good for the soul every now and then, when mixed with a healthy dose of hard work. That was what her Pa always told her, and he was the village doctor, so she figured he knew what he was on about.

She strummed absently, humming a love song, and told herself she wasn't lonely.

"Hey, kid," someone hissed.

Joanna jerked up and looked around. No one was there. It was just her and Bessie, alone in the hills.

"It's me," the cow said.

Joanna set her guitar down slowly. She stared.

"I think I can help you," Bessie said.

"Alright," Joanna said, because who was she to reject a helping hand? Or hoof. "But cows can't talk. So I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating right now."

Bessie... nodded, an extremely awkward bobbing motion. "That's true," she said. "Cows can't talk. I am not a cow."

Joanna must have ingested some sort of hallucinogenic agent, because she was definitely tripping balls right now. Weird, because she hadn't eaten anything yet today. Maybe she was dreaming. This was one hell of a vivid dream though. Unless there had been something in her water?

"I am Qxianv the Vretdahl, and I have taken possession of this cow's form."

"You... possessed my cow."

"That is correct." 'Bessie' nodded again. "I want to help you."

You know what, she may as well go along with this.

"Alright," she said. "Help me how?"

"You know the lake where you take us to drink sometimes? On the other side of the meadow there?"

Joanna nodded.

"This afternoon some Vulcans will be there, bathing and swimming. You should look for their robes. Take one of their robes, only on, mind you, and hide it. Something good will happen."

"So let me get this straight," she said. "You want me to sneak up on Vulcans and steal their clothes? That ain't very nice."

"Yup. Just trust me."

And by god, Joanna did.

* * *

She felt ridiculous.

The lake was small and sheltered in a glen. It was gorgeous, clear water sparkling and running from a small waterfall. Sure enough, when Joanna approached, there were seven Vulcans swimming naked in the water, bodies lithe and elegant and awe-strikingly beautiful.

She averted her eyes quickly.

Their robes were laying on the grass nearby. She quickly grabbed the nearest one-- red and smaller than the others-- and hurried off farther into the woods.

Why the hell was she doing this? She had just stolen clothes from a Vulcan who could easily kick her ass, which was the meanest thing she'd ever done (aside from some comments she'd made about Lucy Miller in high school, but that girl was no-good, cheating, boyfriend-stealer, and she started it). He daddy and her pa didn't raise her this way. She oughta be ashamed.

And she was doing this all on the word of a possessed cow.

She should stop. She should give the robe back and forget everything Bessie had said, forget that she had ever talked. If she goes back now--

She heard the impossibly loud buzz of approaching Vulcan wings, and ducked behind the nearest tree. She cringed mentally. Great. Just great.

The Vulcans touched down in the clearing, toweling themselves off and shaking water off their wings. Six of them got dressed quickly and efficiently and flew off. Only one remained.

Joanna didn't dare turn around and look.

She could the flutter of gigantic wings flitting around everywhere as the Vulcan searched for their robes. Joanna closed her eyes and stepped out from behind the tree, holding the neatly-folded bundle out in front of her. "Here."

The Vulcan paused, and Joanna heard feet touch down on the ground. "You stole my clothes," a feminine voice said. "Why?"

"Now, I didn't-- I mean-- I wasn't tryin' to-- Um." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Quite illogical," the Vulcan said, clearly puzzled. The robes were taken from Joanna's hands, and she heard the sound of fabric shifting as the Vulcan dressed herself. Joanna finally dared to open her eyes.

The most beautiful woman she had ever seen stood before her. She was just on the short side of average, her hair a wild mane of unruly brown curls, and her eyes a somehow warm blue-gray color. Her wings shimmered gold and graceful in the sunlight. She didn't look like any Vulcan Joanna had ever seen before.

"I'm sorry," she said again, then winced at how illogical she must seem. Vulcans didn't really do apologies, and they certainly didn't do repetition.

"I accept your apology," the girl said, instead of the chastisement Joanna expected. "Would you please explain your motives?"

"I, uh... God, this is gonna sound stupid. Some alien creature possessed my cow and told me something good would happen if I stole a Vulcan's robes."

"Fascinating," the girl said. "I am Saavik, Seventh Princess of the House of Surak."

"Joanna McCoy," she said awkwardly. "Ain't a fancy princess or anything, but my pa's the town doctor and my dad's the chief agro-engineer for the colony."

"And you?" Saavik asked, and frankly Joanna had no clue why she was still talking to her, but she was hardly going to complain.

"I'm going into medicine. I've been studying nursing for now, but I might get my doctorate later on," she said. "What about you?"

Saavik gave no outward reaction, her face as immovable as stone, her voice completely monotone. "My destiny has already been firmly decided by my clan mother, Matriarch T'Pau. I am to bond with the one called Valeris and inherit the throne when the time comes."

"Oh," Joanna said. "Is that-- Is that what you want?"

"My own desires are irrelevant."

"That sucks," she said. "If you could choose anything, what would you want?"

Saavik looked directly at her, her blue eyes seeming to sear her like fire.

* * *

They spent the entire day by the lakeside.

Dusk fell and Saavik finally stood from their little shelter among the dress, adjusting her robe and brushing dust off. She had a leaf in her hair. Joanna grinned somewhat dopily.

"I must leave now," she said. "Will I see you again?"

"You can see me every day," Joanna said.

Mirth danced in Saavik's eyes. "I doubt T'Pau would approve."

"Who cares?" Joanna asked. She stood and trailed her fingers along Saavik's shoulder, up her neck to curl tightly in her hair. "Run away with me. Marry me, Saavik."

Her eyes widened imperceptibly. "That is sudden."

"Yeah," she said. "Do you want to?"

Saavik held her gaze. "More than anything."

She grabbed the taller girl with surprising strength and kissed her fiercely.

* * *

They were married by Pike in a quiet ceremony just for family, Joanna's dads beaming and both girls wearing linen dresses and dozens of flowers. Jim cried, and Joanna and Leonard laughed at him, but they were tearing up too. Saavik allowed herself a slight smile only, but her eyes held a maelstrom of emotion.

It wasn't long before they welcomed a healthy baby boy into their family.

Saavik joined the colonial guard as a soldier and quickly rose up its ranks into the command. There were not many beings that could take on a Vulcan. Having one down on the ground was a shock and pleasure for everybody.

Things were stable and they were happy. Joanna was never lonely or bored anymore. She completed her medical training and became her father's apprentice. They named their little boy Su'lar James McCoy and he was the happiest child on Cerberus.

Then Bessie got sick.

Even the best vet in town couldn't do a thing about it. She was going to die.

Joanna was walking her out to the fields one day when she spoke again, for the first time since the day she told her to steal from a Vulcan.

"My dear girl," Bessie croaked. "This old cow's body is getting too fragile. Soon I'll be gone. But do as I say and I can leave you some protection."

"Protection from what?" she asked, startled. 

"In time, girl, in time."

She swallowed. Licked her lips. "I'll do whatever you say."

"When I die, keep my skin in one piece. Hide it in a safe place. You'll find it very useful in an emergency."

Eyes wide, Joanna could only nod.

* * *

T'Pau was displeased.

When the other six Vulcan students returned, they had had no answer for where Saavik was. Their carelessness was unacceptable. T'Pau sentenced them to a week of silent meditation and fasting, with only pure water to sustain them.

She dispatched an emissary every week to search for her lost student. Week after week, they returned unsuccessful. She felt she had searched the whole of the planet by the time three years passed.

And yet, Saavik was unfound.

* * *

She was tending the vegetable patch when they found her.

They didn't wait for an explanation. The four guards of the search party swooped down out of the sky and took hold of her by the arms. She shrieked and kicked, calling on all of her combat training.

She was no match for a group of four.

"Cease this illogical protest," one said. "We shall return you to your home now."

* * *

When Joanna got home, Su'lar was alone on the floor of the livingroom, face flushed green in distress and tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Su'lar," she said, crouching down to be level with him. "Su'lar, what's wrong? Where's your ko-mekh?"

Su'lar sniffled and tried valiantly to calm down. His lip trembled. "Ko-mekh go 'way."

"Away? Away where?"

"Up." He pointed with his little toddler arm. 

Cold dread settled in Joanna's chest.

"She screamed, an' I came to rescue, but I don't know how to fly. Ko-mekh said she'd teach me, but she left."

She took a shuddering breath and scooped up her son, cuddling him close and pressing a kiss to his head. She adjusted her hold on him, careful of his wings, and hurried down into the basement. She pulled a trunk out from behind some boxes in the darkest corner, opening it to reveal a tanned leather cloak, the skin of her old friend Bessie.

Joanna wrapped it around her shoulders and  _flew._

* * *

The Vulcan colony was far in the distance in the sky, resting on a forcefield in the clouds, with a golden gate enclosing it. Joanna flew right up to the two Vulcans guarding it, baby on her hip and fury on her face.

"I request entrance," she gritted out.

"Humans are not permitted," one of the guards said dispassionately.

"Make an exception."

"We cannot."

"Listen,  _buddy,"_ she said. "You don't seem to realize this, but I flew up here with a magical cloak made from the skin of a possessed cow. I brought my son here, okay? And I want my wife back. You kidnapped her. That's against your own laws. And I'm not leaving without her. So you go in there and you tell your boss or whoever that Joanna Goddamn McCoy is here."

* * *

T'Pau was practiced in the mystical arts of ancient Vulcan. More than practiced. She was one of the most skilled wizards of this age.

She was not a woman to be reckoned with. And she did not take kindly to threats, especially threats from stupid human girls who did not know their place.

She appeared at the gates personally, an entourage at hand and a crowd gathering around her.

Good. As humans say, the more the merrier.

She conjured up a torrent between the human and the gates, an uncrossable barrier with no way through or around, made of the strongest magic.

Joanna cried out in frustration, pounding her fist against the invisible barrier, the mist of the river soaking her and her son. Su'lar was wailing at the top of his lungs for his ko-mekh, and Joanna couldn't bring herself to care anymore, she was snarling every curse she knew.

A Vulcan flitted up on lightning-glinted wings. Saavik stopped before the barrier and gasped. She fell to her knees, unable to speak, unable to do anything.

"What is the meaning of this?" A Vulcan man demanded. "Why are you keeping these lovers apart?"

"The law on this is quite clear, Spock," T'Pau said. "Vulcans are not to associate with humans. I will not allow the law to be forsaken in the name of emotionalism."

"And in the name of bonds?" Spock asked. "Such things are sacred. You can clearly see for yourself that these women are telsu. Are our bonds not sacred, Matriarch?"

She glared at him, in the way that Vulcans do without technically glaring. "And what do you propose?"

"Admit the human into our colony."

"No. Absolutely not. I will not give the humans free access to our technology."

"Then allow young Saavik to return to her wife."

"No. It is unseemly. I cannot allow one so young and irresponsible to roam about freely in the world of humans."

"Perhaps if she had a chaperone?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And who would accept such a position?"

Spock straightened. "I would, T'Pau. I volunteer to be emissary between our two peoples. I am, after all, of both realms. And Saavik is my daughter. She has explained her reasons for departure, and I cannot fault her, though I would have wished for a parting message. Now, though, I am granted a unique opportunity. I believe this arrangement will satisfy all parties involved."

"Indeed," T'Pau said. "It is most logical. I grant your request, Spohkh. You may go to the realm of the humans as our ambassador, and take Saavik with you." She paused. "I speculate you await meeting your grandson and daughter-in-law with much anticipation."

"Indeed, Matriarch," he said.

With a wave of her hand, she lowered the barrier, and the two lovers ran to meet each other halfway. Saavik embraced her family tightly, burying her face in her wife's neck. Joanna was laughing and sobbing, Su'lar reaching out with grabby hands for his ko-mekh.

And they lived happily ever after.

 

 


End file.
